Abstract This paper presents a summary and analysis of "Parable of the Sower". The paper takes a look at biblical references in Butler's sci-fi story, as well as its parallels to the modern world and where our society may be headed.
From the Paper "Octavia E. Butler, the grande dame of science fiction, writes extraordinary, inspirational stories of ordinary people. Parable of the Sower is an ultimately hopeful tale set in a dystopian future United States of walled cities, disease, fires, and madness. Butler brings forth an utterly nightmarish vision of California in 2025, but one with a shockingly firm grounding in reality. Society, plagued by global warming and other detriments that Butler keeps unspecified, has collapsed. Los Angeles has devolved into walled island neighborhoods in a sea of utter chaos, (Butler, 23). Residents have been forced to themselves to keep from being overrun by hoards of homeless and starving just beyond the walls. Gangs of thugs rape, pillage and, under the influence of a drug called pyro, burn whole neighborhoods to the ground for the sheer joy of destruction. Everything we take for granted today now comes with a price. No one can be trusted. Violence is a way of life. People hear gunfire so much that [they no longer] hear it, (Butler, 440). Slavery is returning."
Abstract A comparison and discussion of two texts on slavery and its evils, "Narrative of an American Slave" by African-American slave, Frederick Douglass and "Kindred" by OctaviaButler. The paper shows how these novels show the dynamics of slavery- its horrible cost to the culture and country, and the continued efforts of people today to make sure it never happens again.
From the Paper "One of the most famous accounts of slavery in America comes from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Douglass was a gifted writer, and an eloquent orator who motivated and influenced numerous people, abolitionists, and politicians throughout his life on the subject of slavery and freedom."
Abstract This paper is a persuasive indictment of Oankali (alien) actions in the novel "Dawn" by OctaviaButler. It addresses international relations as well as literary theory, particularly the value of conflict and emotion in forming "human-ness". .
Abstract This paper takes a look at 'Kindred' by OctaviaButler and discusses how this modern-day slave narrative brings into sharp focus the reality that we cannot escape history. The paper further discusses how the culture of our ancestors has clearly changed, but just as we carry on the bloodlines and genetic information from our ancestors, we also carry forward the remnants of their culture.
From the Paper "By entering into the role of a slave, Dana begins to negotiate and develop the ethic of compromise within her own head. She is perfectly aware that killing her "owner," Rufus, would bring no legal action in the modern world, nor would it likely bear any guilt on her psyche. However, she has become keenly aware from her second visit to Maryland that Rufus is not just any slave owner, he happens to be the man who will eventually father the first ancestor listed in her family tree. The repercussions of killing him would then logically lead to Dana and the rest of her family simply never coming into existence. Begrudgingly Dana accepts this knowledge and learns to survive in the same way that Alice, one of the house slaves, survives. At first Dana didn't understand how Alice could tolerate, and even express mild affection toward, Rufus after learning that Rufus had sold off three of Alice's children. Eventually Dana understands the complex relationship that all of the slaves have with Rufus through the knowledge that she must protect someone who does her harm ironically for her own protection. In the end, however, Dana comes to a full realization of the situation, and after her ancestor has been born and safely sent away from the plantation, she finally is placed in a situation where she must kill Rufus. Dana realizes that she cannot accept slavery no matter how kind or well-intentioned the slave owner is. "A slave was a slave. Anything could be done to her," Dana thinks as she sinks the knife into Rufus' side (Butler 284)."
Tags: dana, kevin, slave, alice, rufus, relationship, victim
Abstract This paper discusses how on the surface, OctaviaButler's "Kindred", is a time-travel science fiction novel investigating a modern day female African American's experience in the pre-Civil War south. However, it contends that, underneath the surface, the novel attempts to examine the inter-personal relationships between parents and their children. It looks at how Dana, the novel's protagonist seemingly becomes the surrogate mother to the accident-prone Anglo child Rufus and how, as the novel progresses, the adept reader realizes, Dana's martial characteristics contributes to the unhealthy emotional childhood development of Rufus.
From the Paper "Having established Dana as a strong maternal figure, Rufus demonstrates the qualities of an erring and insecure child. First, the reader learns about the quality of love that has shaped the young Rufus' psychic; "And there was Rufus, swung from his father's indifference to his mother's sugary concern" (69). Rufus the child, experiences his biological parent's paternal love as "indifference" and "sugary", which only reinforces his dependent bond with the maternal love provided by Dana. "
Abstract This paper reviews Steven Butler's article "Korea: Echoes of a War". The author recounts Butler's brief account on the events leading up to America's involvement in Korea and his feelings of hopelessness in restoring unity in Korea. The paper relates Butler's claims that the process of restoring unity was more difficult than anyone could have imagined and also explains his seeming bias towards the American government for getting involved in the war. The paper also critiques Butler's article as being vague and that his hope for resolution which should have been apparent in the article becomes lost in details that are interesting but not necessary.
From the Paper "Steven Butler's main idea in the article "Korea: Echoes of a War" is that hope, even 50 years after the fact, seems too much to ask for when it comes to Korea and its government. Butler provides a brief account of what lead up to America's involvement with Korea and how, at the end of the day, everyone involved suffered from the Korean War save North Korea, a country that lives in division today. Butler hopes for hope but it is diminished by the events of the past and present circumstances."
This paper discusses O. Butler's "Kindred", a complex novel, which makes a strong comment that slavery continues to exist in 20th century America, manifested in the economic oppression of certain social classes.
Abstract This paper explains Butler's intent to explore the finer nuances of freedom is evident in the very fact that she chose the America's bicentennial year of freedom, 1976, as the time for situating her 20th century African-American protagonist. The author points out that, by using carefully chosen words and a matter-of-fact tone, Butler places, in perspective, modern day society, which treats certain classes of human beings as invisible people, undeserving of recognition and respect. The paper relates that the core of Butler's message is that the freedom finally obtained by the blacks was hard won and paid for by the suffering and loss of several lives, as symbolized by Kevin's scar and Dana's loss of one arm.
From the Paper "In fact, "Kindred "is full of such sleight-of-hand symbolisms. Take, for example, Dana's marriage to Kevin, a white man. Their union, in spite of the misgivings of both their families, is a rich metaphor for human integration the way it should be, free of racial, color or class barriers. Similarly, it is significant that Dana, a black woman, is the one summoned to rescue her white ancestor, Rufus, every time his life is in danger. Indeed, Dana's meeting with the child, Rufus, is her first inkling of the humiliation suffered by her ancestors. For, here was a small boy advising her that she had to address him as ?master,? while simultaneously calling her by the deprecating term "nigger" ."
Abstract This paper investigates William Butler Yeats' passion along with his politics and his political changes, within the context of a select number of poems. The paper begins with a brief description of the poet and the Irish literature that characterized the period. Additionally, the paper looks at how Yeats' politics changed over time and the influence that his relationship with Maud Gonne had on his politics and his beliefs.
Table of Contents
Introduction
William Butler Yeats
Passion and Politics
Conclusion
From the Paper "William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats) was born in 1865 in Dublin, Ireland. However his family moved to London where Yeats was reared. Yeats returned to Dublin in 1881 where he studied at the Metropolitan School of Art. Historians note that Yeats as fascinated with mysticism and the supernatural; this interest greatly affected the way in which he wrote. His first writings were published in 1885 and remained active in the literary world throughout his life as a poet and dramatist. Yeats received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923.Yeats' married Georgie Hyde-Lee in 1917 but his first love and the inspiration for many of his poems was Maud Gonne an Irish activist. He continued writing and lived in Ireland for the rest of his life. He died in a French hotel in 1939."
Abstract This paper evaluates how H. L. A. Hart and P. Devlin would assess the 1992 Canadian Supreme Court decision R. v. Butler. In so doing the paper clearly expresses an understanding of the debate between Hart and Devlin and applies the salient themes and or arguments of that debate to the Butler decision. Finally, the paper argues for one position or the other when determining whether or not the 1992 ruling was a just and equitable one. Specifically, the paper argues that Hart's position is more tenable than either Devlin's or the Supreme Court decision.
Abstract This paper examines how, in the introduction to the "History of Sexuality", Foucault argues that in the 17th century the role of sex and sexual activity in the discourse of western society made a fundamental and radical change. It also looks at how, in "Discipline and Punish", Foucault argues that obsessions over sexuality and society's approval or disapproval of specific actions occurs because of the infinite diffusion of power which is found as the basis of western society. In comparison, it looks at how two decades later, Butler employed themes from Foucault's philosophy in order to argue her case for the arbitrariness of anatomical sex, gender identity and gender performance. It shows that through the arguments in her work, "Gender Trouble", Butler concludes that there is no essential relationship between a person's anatomical sex, her self-identified gender and the gender performance she enacts to fulfill society's expectations of the norm.
From the Paper "Foucault's analysis of discourses on sex comes as a reaction to the more commonly-held belief that there was a society-wide discourse of repression in regards to sex. Foucault argues against this; he questions whether or not "sexual repression is truly an established historical fact"; whether "prohibition, censorship, and denial truly the forms through which power is exercised in a general way, if not in every society, most certainly in our own"; and whether "there really was a historical rupture between the age of repression and the critical analysis of repression". Foucault argues that through the evolution of Christian pastoral practices, specifically that of confessions regarding sexual sins, society was compelled to begin an elaborate and never-ceasing discourse on sex. "
Abstract This paper argues that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate in relation to three poems by William Butler Yeats: "Sailing to Byzantium", "Easter 1916" and "Wild Swans at Coole". Each poem is analysed through two critical approaches, namely New Critical, which focuses on the specific devices used by the poet in the actual poems and Marxist, which looks at the context of the poet and poem to extract meaning.
From the Paper ""Sailing to Byzantium" is not an exception to the fact that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate. The debate in this poem arises over the interpretation of the golden bird that is "set upon a bough to sing". A New Critical reading of the golden bird holds that it is a symbol of the "artifice of eternity" and the ideal world of art. The golden bird defies all change and, as apart of art, comments on life and the natural world which is subject to mutability and transformation. A Marxism, however, argues that the golden bird along with the "holy city of Byzantium" represent aristocratic values, and the stability and immutability of the aristocracy is what Yeats yearns for. To a Marxist, nature symbolizes a society that changes."
Abstract The paper describes how Orton employs a variety of signs and symbols in "What the Butler Saw" to facilitate interpretation and more importantly, misinterpretation in the Prentice house. It discusses how the playwright relies on mayhem as a dramatic tool, but beyond the madness there is a method that Orton wants us to evaluate gender, crime and the medical establishment with.
From the Paper ""Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," Sigmund Freud is quoted as saying, to which Geraldine Barclay replies, "But it is a cigar!" So ends Joe Orton's 1969 play, Geraldine by now having been through sexual harassment, gender transformation and internment in an institution of mental health. "What The Butler Saw" is a play primarily obsessed with the interpretationaE"and misinterpretationaE"of symbols, signs and language. This paper will examine the ways in which each of the characters function to interpret the world of the play and the way that their interpretation informs us about them and their world."
Abstract The paper demonstrates how the three parts of the poem reflect the elegiac, apostrophe and poetic mimicry of Yeats' verse in Auden's "In Memory of William Butler Yeats." The paper discusses that while the poem immediately shows a traditional form of reflection and commemoration of Yeats's life and his death in the modern world, it is clear that Auden sought to idealize the naturalism and mythical mastery that Yeats beheld in poetical history.
From the Paper "This study will examine the three parts of W.H. Auden's poem: "In Memory of William Butler Yeats." In the first part of the poem, Auden uses a reflective elegiac ideology to commemorate a poet that he held in high literary regard. After Auden describes the differing social perspectives of Yeats' influence on the world, the second part of the poem brings forth an apostrophe that speaks to Yeats as a brother in poetry. Finally, the third part of the poem is written in verse style of Yeats, as Auden brings to life the actual poetic talents that his hero had emulated in his lifetime. In essence, the three parts of the elegy will be examined within the context of the style that Auden has chosen to commemorate William Butler Yeats."
Abstract This paper explains that William Butler Yeats 'poem 'No Second Troy', from the collection "From the Green Helmet and Other Poems", employs myths as significant tools of ideology articulation. Yeats' use of Homeric myths to bring about a conflation of opposite spaces of the private and public, heroic past and turbulent present and love and war is examined by the author. The paper underscores that the poem was written when Yeats was disillusioned by the Irish nationalist movement and was highly critical of Maud Gonne's participation in it.
From the Paper "Similarly, fire as a basic element of nature with its extreme attributes of intense heat and light can be simultaneously associated with both passion and violence. Moreover, the poem with its four rhetorical questions, with harsh-syllabled words like: "violent ways", "hurled", "burn" and war-like images of bow and fire, together culminate into a highly loaded and strained experience of an anguished lover whose love has been repeatedly thwarted. For this reason, the poem leaves a lot of room for psychoanalytic interpretations."
Abstract This paper discusses how, in recent works of historical fiction by Toni Morrison ("Beloved") and Octavia E. Butler ("Kindred"), common themes of black literature are explored. It examines how principally through circular narrative, recall of memory and the pervasive theme of human bondage, Morrison demonstrates a powerful, varied, and incisive style in the portrayal of how humanity can be stolen from those who are victimized. In comparison, it looks at how based on first hand, factual experiences researched by Butler, "Kindred" presents a unique perspective on the sacrifices that a slave had to make to secure his or her freedom. It concludes that both these works bear testimony to the profound impact that this tragic period in history has had on the black literature of today.
From the Paper "The use of paradox is evident from the beginning of the novel as the narrator describes the house at 124 Bluestone Road as being "Full of a baby's venom" (Morrison 3), in direct contradiction to the usual attribute of innocence associated with an infant. As the plot develops, the audience begins to understand the true meaning of this phrase in regard to the murder of the baby, Beloved, by its mother, Sethe. Rather than condemning her child to a morbid life filled with the torment of slavery, Sethe is driven to this heinous act in the belief that she will give her child a better alternative than a life of slavery. For a strong mother to commit such a shocking and outrageous act, it can be concluded that Sethe's life was nothing short of sheer hell and torture. "
